EJ Obiena notched a new Philippine record in his second-place finish behind Olympic champion Armand Duplantis in the men's pole vault competitions of the Meeting De Paris, a part of the 2021 Wanda Diamond League.
EJ Obiena in Meeting De Paris
The Tokyo Olympian cleared 5.91 meters to place second in the competition, erasing his own record of 5.87 meters in Poland last July.
Duplantis ruled the event with a new meet record of 6.01 meters, bouncing back from his fourth-place finish at the Atletissima in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The 25-year-old Obiena was in a battle with Duplantis for the title but was eliminated from the competition following two attempts at 5.96 and one at 6.01 which he failed to clear.
Nevertheless, it was an outstanding effort for Obiena, who placed fifth with 5.52 meters in Lausanne, his first competition since finishing 11th in the Olympics.
Obiena actually had a shaky start when he cleared 5.45 after the second attempt. He then stayed in contention after clearing 5.81 in his third and final attempt.
The Filipino pole vaulter then went for the new national record which he cleared in just his first try in Paris, which is incidentally the site of the next Olympics in 2024.
Duplantis though was just too good.
The Swedish-American pole vaulter was the last man standing when he cleared 5.96 and 6.01 on the first try. Just like in Tokyo, he then attempted a new world record of 6.19 but failed to do so.
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